Ericka Stark
General Information Personality: A rather softspoken young woman who seems more comfortable communicating in gestures rather than words. She is exceedingly friendly despite the soft demeanor and can be found with a faint smile constantly, nonetheless, she does seem to be rather enigmatic- having very few who she can truly call her friends. Due to her ability of Greensight, she often fears to foresee the demise of those she comes to care for and thus attempts to remain rather isolated. This, alas, often changes when she invited to participate in song, having begun to come out of her shell more as of late due to her angelic voice being considered one of the great treasures of the North. This is a certain point of pride for the young Stark, who takes excessive joy in entertaining those who care to listen. Purpose: To use her gifts to better the North Talents: Greensight -'' Greensight is the ability to perceive, future, past, or contemporary but distant events in dreams. Ericka developed this ability at an exceedingly young age and has retained it for over 10 years, thus making her one of the most experienced Greenseers in Westeros even if she does not know it. ''Song -'' Her voice is considered to be one of the greatest treasures of the North, having earned her the nickname ‘The nightingale of the north’. Her notable musical ability has begun to spread to the South, but to what ends? ''Vocal Mimicry - Taught by the Assassin Latvick in exchange for giving him the answer to any secret of his desire, Ericka's mastery of song has slipped into a mastery of replicating others' voices. Though she struggles with a deep male baritone, one could quickly mistake her for another if she goes unseen. Beloved - As Ericka Stark burst upon the world stage, she has become deeply loved by common folk across Westeros as seen by how heavily she affected the crowds at the Tournament of Casterly Rock. as further developped Likes: The arts, music, nights without dreams, banquets, Gardens, mtba Dislikes: Mindless violence, exceedingly loud noises, interruptions, mtba Fears: Foreseeing the end of her family or kingdom Weaknesses: Withdrawn, hesitant, exceedingly cautious HISTORY Childhood Ericka was born to Lord Paramount Robb Stark and his lady Narisandre of Asshai, the Lord was a known and proud sailor, often leaving his council in charge of the north whilst he traveled, and returned home with a lady of red, of whom he kept as his lover for the rest of his days before his death at the age of 45. From their marriage, he created nine children, the eldest three being Kyra, Kiana, and Allyria in that order. Then, the fourth was none other then Ericka. Ericka was born the middle child of the Stark brood, four siblings from being the eldest and four from being the youngest. As a result it was rather difficult to say whether the girl would ever amount to anything being in such an unassuming position. This thought process eventually changed as young Ericka began to experience terrors in the night, tearily sobbing into her nursemaid's breast time and time again of terrible happenings that would often come to pass. It was her mother that first suggested these terrors were, in fact, the affliction of Greensight- though the Lord Paramount was skeptical at first he allowed his daughter to be tested by the Maesters and Narisandre's supervision. Their suspicions confirmed, the little Ericka was charged to be tutored by the Maesters to hone this ability. So, from the time her Greensight had been discovered to the present day, Ericka was constantly urged to exercise this ability - obviously not in sight of outsiders of course. One would think this would not allow the girl to develop a personality of her own and yet- the young Stark became quite notable for her singing voice, a somewhat unusual trait for a Stark but the young woman found great joy in performing ballads for any who would listen. Nonetheless, her skill in song eventually began to spread throughout the North, becoming a point of praise for the otherwise enigmatic princess. She was eventually nicknamed ‘the Nightingale of the North’ for her both enigmatic reputation and her skilled vocals. Her relationship with her family is an unusual one- though she regards her siblings with warmth, her relationship with her parents seems to be carefully guarded and seemingly more professional then familial, it seems she holds little love for them personally but remains pleasantly polite. As her confidence with her skills in song grows, Ericka has begun to open up more frequently to others. Even so, she seems to remain carefully aloof as the dreams of Greensight plague her even now, though less debilitating than when she was a child. Young Adulthood As Ericka turned 18, tragedy struck the North as Queen Kyra Stark died due to complications with her pregnancy. It was with great horror that Ericka realized she had dreamt her sister's death but was unable to warn the Maesters in time to save her- as a result, the young Stark internalized her grief. Allyria Stark ascended as the next Queen. During the days of mourning before and during Queen Kyra Stark's funeral, it is noted the Nightingale stopped an altercation between Lord Rogar Bolton and Lord Sunderland - the Princess driving Lord Bolton away under the promise that his power could be taken away should he continue to threaten other nobles. This is considered to be one of the catalysts leading to Lord Bolton's ultimate betrayal, many common folk under the impression the man could not stand his pride being wounded by a mere child. During this time of grieving, she would find comfort in Thorren Forrester. The pair became fast friends by finding a mutual love in music. Due to her tumultuous visions, the young woman was quite hesitant to enter a relationship and attempted to keep the rather eager young Bachelor at bay. Little did she know he had already snatched another... Queen Allyria Stark was crowned Queen of the North and with that, appointed the rather withdrawn Ericka Stark as a member of her Council and Master Diplomat. Though she was thrilled to finally have the ability to move from beneath her overbearing mother's shadow and the ghosts of the past, she hesitated, wondering if it was worth risking her relationship with Thorren yet... For the good of the North, the young Stark accepted and soon set off to the Tournament at Casterly Rock accompanied by Maester Caleb and a small troop of soldiers despite strange visions plaguing her. While on the road to Casterly Rock, her caravan stumbled upon a tiny creature in the middle fo the road, the Maester would soon discover the small, malnourished creature to be a Direwolf pup. Some of the Guards speculating it may have somehow wandered from the Wolfswood. The young pup was frightened at first and quickly bit Ericka's hand but soon calmed and before long, Winter and Ericka became nearly inseparable. Upon arriving as Casterly Rock's shores on a rather stormy day, Ericka happened to arrive as Dykk Baratheon did. The initial meeting was rather stilted as the pair only shared memories of pain and grief from their brief interactions at King's Landing after The Black Feast. The pair only having met in the form of brief eye contact as bloodshed around them. On those docks, the young Baratheon asked her forgiveness and in return, Ericka offered it to him under the knowledge that she did so not because he needed to apologize but because it would offer him solace even though she held no ill will for him. The pair would grow quite close in the coming days, finding comfort and joy in one another's presence. The young Stark would later offer him a lock of her hair as a sign of her favor as Dykk would participate in the Archery contest. She would later be taught by Latvick 'The Hunter-Phantom' how to change her voice to mimic those around her- though she is but a novice, the young woman's background in singing seems to lend her quite the head start on this skill. As of the 12th day of the 8th month of 400, Ericka Stark was named the Queen of Love and Beauty by Leofric Hightower at the Tournament at Casterly Rock. This event was particularly notable due to the young Stark entering the civilian crowds of the stands without guards to sit amongst the common folk- it is rumored that the crowd parted before her like water, the fiery-haired Princess having caught the hearts of the Westerlands so it seemed. After the tournament, Ericka would receive word from both her elder sister Allyria and Thorren simultaneously, one stating an intent to speak in person on an important matter and the other begging her forgiveness but not stating why. It did not take much for Ericka to understand what had happened and yet... It stung to know she had been tread over so easily by those she had trusted. But the extent of the betrayal she had yet to know. The Great Masquerade took place in Casterly Rock as Queen Vivienne Tyrell gave birth to a pair of healthy twins much to the delight and relief of the young Greenseer. Donning the mask of a fox, young Ericka would soon find herself whisked away by a familiar Black Stag. The pair would enter the Golden Gallery, Ericka's influence seeming to convince them the pair were quite safe amongst the Lannister's greatest treasures divulging their secrets to one another. T'was a night of bliss despite those dark clouds that lingered in the distance. Betrayal and Growth As Ericka awaited the correct time to approach the King Victor Lannister, it seemed the civil war in the North grew more heated- the young Stark's nights filled with blood-splattered snow and the cries of her countrymen soon to die or already dead. But what information could she give her others that they wouldn't already know? Alas, the burden on her mind would soon intensify upon the arrival of the Queen's retinue from the North. to be added soon Category:RP Characters